Friday, February 12, 2010

Howlin' Wolf on Shindig

There are many important moments in the history of music, I am sure. And here is a clip of what I consider to be a very important moment.

It is the apperance of Howlin' Wolf on the show Shindig. The story goes, that Mr. Wolf was allowed to perform at the bequest of the Rock band The Rolling Stones.

Wikipedia says of the incident;

1965 he appeared on the television show Shindig at the insistence of The Rolling Stones, who were scheduled to appear on the same program and who had covered "Little Red Rooster" on an early album.

Note the subtle sexuality of this clip. It is one of those times where I am transported back to when I was a boy and I am seeing something that I have seen many times, and finally understanding it. Note how Wolf dances, note how the camera zooms on the bottoms of the girls sitting on the bar stools.

I apologize for the poor quailty of this clip, but even with it's flaws it is excellent. Becuase it captures a very important moment in blues history.



Shindig DVDs @Amazon.com


2 comments:

mister anchovy said...

I thought the band here rushed the tune just a little bit, but as usual Wolf was spectacular. It must have been like bringing Satan to a church picnic. He was corrupting those happy kids in the audience in a big way. Excellent video, even with the quality issues.

Anonymous said...

Wolf -- my dear friend, mentor, music teacher, portrait model and co-creator of all we did ((and those two songs, my "harp lessons" which will soon be made available one way or another ;) -- Happy Birthday... Howl on! Your angelic presence in my life will always be a guiding light, and one which I will share with the world, just as you did to whoever could be open to experience the deeper wisdom you conveyed. Sandy